Fundamentals of learning piano

Whatever you wish to begin and get expertise at, best is to start with a complete basic knowledge of ins and outs. Same goes for pianos as well. If you really wish to have a strong grasp and would like to become an expert piano player, basic knowledge is must. Know the basics, put in time and efforts for further learning, practice well and you will surely make remarkable progress. Once you know the basics you will be all prepared to face the challenge of learning this musical instrument. There are some basic things related to the layout of your piano, keys and chords that one must know.

Layout of Keyboard

Different keyboards have different number of keys but these keys follow same repeating pattern that is composed of 12 keys. The keys include two types of keys; black keys and white keys. The black keys offer sharp and flat sounds while white keys give more natural sound. Black Keys are known as accidental keys and the white keys are known as natural keys. When player strikes a key, it produces a sound and this sound may vary depending upon the tones whether high or low. These are known as octaves. You can find out about an octave, simple by putting your fingers on any of the keys and counting 12 keys up or down.

Keys

Non-Weighted Keys: keyboards have different combination of keys. Some are light ones that offer very little resistance on pressing down. We call these keys, non-weighted ones. Non-weighted plastic keys are usually very light and easy to press and you will find synthesizer keyboards using these keys.

Weighted Keys: These are keys that have a high resistance when you press them and are thus known as weighted keys. Pianos having weighted keys give you a feeling of playing a real acoustic grand piano. This experience is the only aim behind weighted keys and pianos having such keys are slightly more expensive instruments.

Hammer Action Keys: Hammer Action Keys offer most real experience of playing a true traditional piano. The hammer mechanisms behind the keys give you a sensation similar to that of acoustic piano. Traditional piano sounds depend upon hammers and the strings inside the keys create the grand sound. With hammer action keys, you will find yourself playing a digital piano while experiencing the feel of a true piano. Keyboards that have hammer action keys are the most expensive high-end digital pianos.

Notes

Learning notes is not difficult as notes are a pattern that you can learn to read. The piano notes are named after letters of alphabets. These start from A and ends on G. These are then repeated such as A, B, C, D, E, F, G, A, B, C etc.

Chords

Chords are a combination of notes usually 3 to 4 notes that make up a melody or song. You can learn to play different types of chords on your piano.

Major Chord: Take an example of Major chord C which is a combination of three notes. You can play C Major Chord by pressing C Key 1, E Key 3 and G Key 5 altogether.

Minor Chord: Minor Chord and Major Chord are similar with the only difference that in major you hit E Key 3 and in minor you press Eb E-flat or 2.5. By pressing all these keys together, you can make a minor chord. Next chord on the piano can be played by moving fingers up/down one key.

Other two basic chords are augmented and diminished.

Hand Positioning: Positioning your hands is another important thing that you need to know before starting to learn piano. The best you can learn is visually. You can watch different clips and videos to learn how to position your hands on piano. Some tips:

Think as if you are holding a precious piece in your hands that you do not wish to break.

Keep your fingers well on this instrument without being too stiff or tense.

Play this beautiful instrument with tips of your fingers.

Thumbs of your hands must be touching keys.

Wrist must not touch the piano ledge.

Keep your arms relaxed.

Do not put strain on your shoulders.

You must sit on the bench edge to play piano effectively.

Some Useful Tips

For learning piano, you must get a beginner’s piano to start with. You must start with a low cost instrument but it should be properly tuned to give you accurate results. Check if it needs tuning, get it done from a professional only.

An inexpensive digital keyboard could be more affordable option with which you will be able to witness all the advanced features, notes and sound effects. Moreover you would need no tuning for such device. These instruments are more portable and compact size offering you ease of moving.

It would be beneficial if you have some knowledge of music, its notes and chord. You can get all of this basic knowledge with ebooks, videos and DVDs and courses available online.

Never stress yourself and make it more of a fun learning thing.

If you have experienced playing some other instrument, you will find this learning a lot easier.

Practice different scales and learn from your mistakes and you will improve over time.

Try to make more effective use of both of your hands and feet. Using both together will be little difficult but practice will make you an expert on it.

Conclusion

These are simple fundamentals of learning piano and with this simple and basic knowledge you can reach chore learning of piano. You may be worried that it would take years for you to be an expert of piano but it is not really true. Some musical knowledge of keys, notes, chords, scales, reading music and with time and practice, you can become a good piano player in a matter of some time.